Amateur Dutch defender Mats Grotenbreg, who scored the winning goal for USV Hercules in a cup upset against Ajax in 2023, has died following a collision with a boat.
The 28-year-old was swimming in the Mookerplas recreation area south of Nijmegen when the incident occured.
Grotenbreg, who was most recently playing for VV VRC Veenendaal, etched his name in the Hercules hall of fame after scoring the stoppage time winner in the Gaglenwaard in 2023, knocking Ajax out of the Dutch Cup.
Hercules were in the fourth division of Dutch football when they pulled off the win.
Grotenbreg came up through the youth ranks at PSV and Vitesse and also played for TOP Oss.
Former teammates of Grotenbreg have responded to the news on social media.
- Ajax suffer shock Dutch Cup loss to 4th-tier amateurs Hercules
"You were a star, far too young. We're going to miss you, friend," Nicky Hofs said.
Giovanni Büttner wrote: "No words for this, we played football together for six years, I wish his parents and family a great deal of strength with this terrible news."
Information from ESPN Netherlands contributed to this report.
